Church May Take Up To A Year To Name Successor To Whealon

Whealon Vacancy May Last One Year

The Hartford Archdiocese probably will be without an archbishop for at least six months -- and perhaps as long as a year -- a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese said Monday.

That means that the administration of the church in Connecticut will be effectively on hold until Pope John Paul II names a successor to Archbishop John F. Whealon, who died Friday.

FOR THE RECORD - Until Pope John Paul II names a replacement for Roman atholic Archbishop John F. Whealon, who died Friday, the administration of the church in the diocese will be effectively on hold. A story on Tuesday's onnecticut page incorrectly said the administration of the church statewide would be affected.

Whealon's funeral at 11 a.m. Friday in St. Joseph's Cathedral is shaping up to be a major convocation of the American Catholic hierarchy. Seven of the eight U. S. cardinals and more than 30 archbishops and bishops will attend, the Rev. Thomas J. Barry said.

Barry's prediction that the appointment of a new Hartford archbishop will not be speedy was based on the way the Vatican's papal ambassador to the United States has been working since his appointment in June 1990.

"He conducts thorough investigations," Barry said of Archbishop Augustino Cacciavillan, who declined to comment on the process.

Without an archbishop in command, pastors who die, retire or resign cannot be replaced. Temporary administrators will fill the vacancies.

Also, the first synod involving lay people in the 148-year history of the archdiocese will be suspended, Barry said.

The three-year-long synod process was called by Whealon to develop a mission statement for the archdiocese. It opened with a gathering of clergy and laity in February 1990 and was to culminate in a convention of delegates in September 1992.

Meanwhile, a group of clerics called the "college of consultors" are expected to meet today or Wednesday to elect an administrator for the archdiocese during the interim between leaders.

The consultors are being convened by senior Auxiliary Bishop

Peter A. Rosazza, who arrived in Hartford Monday. He had been vacationing in Europe and was reached at a monastery in Taize, France.

Besides Rosazza, the consultors are Auxiliary Bishop Paul S. Loverde; the Rev. Robert L. Beloin, St. Barnabus Church, North Haven; the Rev. Joseph A. Devine, Our Lady of Loretto, Waterbury; and the Rev. John D. Regan, St. John, Middlebury.

Cacciavillan, a 64-year-old papal diplomat who is called an apostolic pro-nuncio, is a key figure in appointing bishops. He makes three recommendations to the pope after looking into the qualifications of candidates, culled from recommendations funneled to him by archbishops.

The pope is also known to give great weight to the advice of churchmen he favors, such as Cardinals Bernard Law of Boston and John J. O'Connor of New York.

Chris Martinez, a reporter for the Florida Catholic newspaper, said it took a year for a bishop to be named to the Diocese of Pensacola, the most recent vacancy filled. A bishop who had never been to Pensacola, Auxiliary Bishop John M. Smith of Newark, N.J., was installed there July 31, Martinez said.

Martinez did a survey that showed that appointments took an average of three months under Cacciavillan's predecessor, Archbishop Pio Laghi. The four or five appointments that have been made since Cacciavillan arrived have taken from six months to a year, he said.

The longer period may indicate Cacciavillan's lack of familiarity with the American hierarchy, Martinez said. The diplomat served previously in India for nine years.

In accordance with his wishes, Whealon's casket will remain closed during all funeral rites, including viewings on Wednesday, Thursday and before the funeral Mass Friday, the archdiocese announced.

Law will celebrate the funeral Mass. The choir will sing several Latin chants, as the archbishop had requested.

Scaffolding covering the outside of the cathedral, which is undergoing renovations, will remain in place, a cathedral spokeswoman said. The scaffolding blocks the main entrance, so the funeral procession will use a ramp for the handicapped to enter and leave by a side door, she said.

Visiting hours will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday at St. Mary Home in West Hartford, where Whealon resided. The Eucharist will be celebrated at 4 p.m.

Whealon's body will lie in state at the cathedral Wednesday evening from 7 to 9, with a rite of reception at 7.

He will lie in state Thursday at the cathedral from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. A celebration of the Eucharist will be at 7:30 p.m. He will lie in state 8 to 10 a.m. Friday. The funeral Mass will begin at 11 a.m.